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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: can · land · foot · pitcher · last · wind · dip · bowl

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. can — a tin
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. land — to come down
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. wind — moving air
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. last — final
  11. dip — to sink
  12. last — finally
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. land — a country
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. land — ground
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. foot — a measure
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. last — to go on
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. can — to be able to
  24. can — a tin

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com